Computers are often connected to or networked with various appliances such as printers. These appliances can experience errors such as when a printer has a paper jam or is out of toner. A computer user may only detect the error through a physical inspection of the appliance. Upon detecting the error, the computer user typically must manually call or send an e-mail to the manufacturer or other company that services the appliance. The use of a manual way to send the notification results in a cumbersome and inefficient way to service the appliance.
Also, the user's physical inspection of the appliance may not necessarily detect all or most events relevant to the error. For example, a paper jam in a printer can be caused by a failure of mechanical components; however, the user may only detect the paper jam and not detect anything concerning the components causing the error. Therefore, when reporting the error, the user may not necessarily have the best or most relevant information for the servicing company, which can also result in a delayed or inefficient servicing of the appliance.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved way to detect and report errors or other events concerning networked appliances.